Kids Book Reviews and Storytime Fun

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I’m thrilled to be part of the Virtual Book Club for Kids this year. If you are a parent or a teacher of children between 2-6 years old, join the fun in our Facebook group. Your blogging co-hosts (including me!) will be sharing book-based learning activities on a weekly basis, and the group is filled with encouragement and inspiration.

This week (October 3), the chosen book for the Virtual Book Club for Kids is Five Little Pumpkins by Dan Yaccarino. This sturdy board book brings this classic rhyme to life with bright and bold illustrations.

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate; The first one said, "Oh my it's getting late".The second one said, "There are witches in the air".The third one said, "But I don't care".The fourth one said, "I'm ready for some fun!"The fifth one said, "Let's run and run and run"."Wooooooo" went the wind,And out went the lights.And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

Don't forget to pin the list.

In response to this fun book and classic fingerplay, I made some quick puppets from pipe cleaners and pom poms.

My young kids have had a blast using these to act out the song and do some creative storytelling of their own. Performing finger plays and telling/retelling stories are beneficial activities for toddlers and preschoolers. They strengthen a child’s language and fine motor skills, memory, and ability to imagine and become immersed in play.

Scroll to the bottom of the post for a gallery of 20 pumpkin books for toddlers and preschoolers that are also great companions for this easy craft. And, don’t miss out on my other October book and learning posts, including this one about brand-new Halloween board books for toddlers and preschoolers.

Click here to check out the best new Halloween board books for your little monsters.

There are a few tutorials on the web about making finger puppets like these. My technique was inspired by this tutorial for no-sew farm animal puppets from PBS.

Step 1:

Wrap the pipe cleaner around your pinkie finger or a child’s finger to make the “stem.”

Step 2:

Cut a small piece of orange felt (dime size or nickel size), and use the hot glue to secure it to the top of your stem. This will help your pompom pumpkin stick to the stem. Glue a pompom onto the felt coin.

Step 3:

Embelish the pumpkin with googly eyes, a small piece of pipe cleaner, and a mouth made of black felt.

Chickadee Lit

I write about reading for families and children. You can make storytime spectacular with my reviews of children's literature; expert techniques for raising readers; book lists for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and big kids; and more.